One afternoon, a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing a friend of mine to learn more about
his culture and where he came from. His name was Li Zhang. Li moved over to the United States about 3 years
ago, to receive a better education. He is currently going to school here in Indianapolis at IUPUI. Li explained to me
that the education system in China is like ours in the United States. They have similar grade levels such as
elementary, middle school and then high school. He told me that there is also a public school system, however Li
went to a private school. When I heard that I was a little surprised, I figured that the school system in China would
be drastically different than ours in the United States. After learning a little about his schooling growing up, I
thought I would ask Li what his name meant, or if it had any meaning. Li’s name means “strength” in mandarin and
he was named after his father’s father.
Li grew up in Beijing, China, on the southern side of the city. He lived there with his father, Zhou, his
mother, Fei, and his grandparents. When I asked about what his parents did for a living, he told me his father
works for the Bank of China as a sort of mortgage broker or loan officer, and his mother stays at home and takes
care of his grandparents. Li is an only child, so he told me that leaving home to come and get a better education
